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Why We Are So Bad at Buying Happiness

Why We Are So Bad at Buying Happiness

"Those who say that money can't buy happiness aren't doing it right."  Have you heard that joke before?  Well, it turns out that there is more than a kernel of truth in there. People are generally bad at buying happiness because: 1. We buy to keep up with the Joneses / ...

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Hair, Hair, Everywhere – the Recession Edition

Hair, Hair, Everywhere – the Recession Edition

I wrote a hair post in both 2007 and 2008, so I suppose it's only appropriate to continue the tradition in 2009! This post is dedicated to recession's impact on hair budgets. The recession is a major reason why I've been neglecting my hair a bit during these past several months: ...

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Experience, Not Stuff

Experience, Not Stuff

Experience, not stuff: I've decided to make this my mantra to live by. It'll be hard, because I like nice things (ex: shoes), but guess which of the following I remember the most? (a) A $100 leather jacket purchased in Buenos Aires, that I've worn ONCE in 3 years. (b) A $45 hour-long horse ride on ...

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What Sex And The City Taught Me About Love, Life, and Money

What Sex And The City Taught Me About Love, Life, and Money

Sex And The City: The Movie is coming out in May! I am so, so excited, and I'm betting that many Sex And The City feel the same way. Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda - you ladies have been missed! (By the way, I love the photo below - head-to-toe ...

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5 Year Travel Plan: Making Your Travel Dreams a Reality

5 Year Travel Plan: Making Your Travel Dreams a Reality

I've been struck by a bad case of the travel bug lately... I haven't been out of the country since 2007, which seems like a long time. CB and I are saving for Galapgos, but we also want to travel quite extensively in the intervening months before our Big Galapagos ...

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Graduate School: (When) Should I Go?

Graduate School: (When) Should I Go?

Graduate school is a significant undertaking both in terms of time and money. During the last few months, I've felt some pressure from concerned family members about going to graduate school. I know they only want the best for me, but I'm glad I followed my gut instinct and ...

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Should Parents Pay For College Education

Should Parents Pay For College Education

A college education has, for a large percentage of society, become the de rigueur entry-level degree. "Should parents pay for college education" is a question where the answer is always, "it depends." In today's economic climate, I imagine that many parents are having the difficult talk with their kids ...

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Free GMAT Study Resources

Free GMAT Study Resources

Taking and prepping for standardized tests isn't cheap, fortunately, there are many free study resources available online. I've taken advantage of most of these resources when I was preparing for my test last year. Hopefully you will find them helpful as well. Free Online Study Materials The GMAT Uncovered by ManhattanGMAT: A ...

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7 Steps In Overcoming Rejections In Job Search

7 Steps In Overcoming Rejections In Job Search

Rejections during job search are disappointing, to be sure. Nobody likes to be told that they were qualified candidates, but the management has decided to go in another direction. In this environment, however, rejections are common-place through out the job search and interview process. After the initial disappointment wears off ...

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How to Host a Dinner Party On a Budget

How to Host a Dinner Party On a Budget

Hosting a dinner party is always fun, but right now I need my get-togethers to be budget-friendly as well. Remember when I made crab cakes? That was for a group of 5 or 6 friends. The crab cakes were delicious and everyone loved them, but, crabs are expensive! Two pounds ...

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Pure Altruism - Does it Exist?

Pure Altruism - Does it Exist?

Every time the holidays come around, feel-good human-interest stories surface. This is a time to give to others, help those in need, and realize that the world is not as cutthroat or as competitive as we may believe. But is it true? Can people be purely altruistic? The authors of Superfreakonomics (the ...

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The Price of Addiction To Argentine Tango

The Price of Addiction To Argentine Tango

It's happened. I fell for the sultry dance, hard. (I even made its own category!) I leave class with a big smile on my face. I read Argentine tango forums and blogs. I fall asleep thinking of boleos and molinetes. I'm not sure how my wallet feels about the possible financial ...

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Old Cars: Unsung Heroes of Personal Finance

Old Cars: Unsung Heroes of Personal Finance

New Cars are shiny, gleaming, loaded with the latest technology and features. New cars get the big commercials on TV, where they swerve confidently in snow storms, zoom down idyllic country lanes, and maybe even dance a little to the sound of a state-of-the-art in-car sound system near a trendy ...

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Disney World Recap

Disney World Recap

I realized that I haven't really talked about my Disney World adventure (aside from the Dining Plan review) on this blog yet... and well, that oversight must be rectified! If you have any specific questions about Disney World, please ask away and I'll do my best to answer. We Got To ...

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Job Fairs: How to Prepare So You Stand Out

Job Fairs: How to Prepare So You Stand Out

Job fairs can be a great opportunity for applicants to interact with many different companies. But if you don't prepare adequately, job fairs can be a disaster. Last week, I attended a job fair - prior to the event I debated whether I should go. I had heard the horror ...

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How To Practice Safe and Responsible Credit Card Use

How To Practice Safe and Responsible Credit Card Use

Wait, you mean you never had a credit card education class in school? Okay, me neither. The quality of education these days! But there's no reason that high schools or colleges shouldn't offer a class like this. After all, credit card education isn't an awkward topic like the other type of ...

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Dividends are a girl's best friend

by WellHeeled on March 26, 2008

I remember when I got my first dividend a year or so ago… I think it was for $36.–

Now, I just took a quick look at my investment summary, and apparently I’ve received $166.35 in dividends for 2007 and $70.06 for year-to-date 2008.

So.. not life-changing amounts. I don’t even notice them much because I automatically re-invest all my distributions, but – they are there, evidence that I am the OWNER of some tiny fraction of a company (or, since I invest in funds, very tiny parts of many, many companies), and when that company has PROFIT, as a shareholder I have CLAIM to some (again, tiny) part of its net income.

Saving is important, yes, but I’ve always saved. It’s only when I took the step towards investing that I found personal finance so much more fun (I spent the last several nights reading books on asset allocation).

Here’s the ad copy – clever, no?

dividends1 Dividends are a girl's best friend
_________________

*I am neither affliated with, nor do I endorse, Citigroup’s Women & Co. in any way. I am not a financial adviser – please do not rely on this blog for financial advice.

**The first thing I thought upon seeing the ad was – “wow – those cheekbones” and, “love the coat.”

You May Also Want To Read :

{ 1 trackback }

Dividends are fun… | Penny For My Thoughts
January 2, 2009 at 3:41 pm

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

Trisha March 27, 2008 at 1:28 am

Oh, look at that! They’re finally getting smart and marketing directly to us now!

Reply

dogatemyfinances March 27, 2008 at 5:46 am

I like the copy, but the first thing I thought when I saw that ad was BLAH. All gray, not happy. Not attention grabbing. Why is she wearing a huge coat? Yuck. Give me happy women with martinis or something.

But this ad is not targeted at me because dividends are not a girl’s best friend when she is in the 33% tax bracket.

Nice new banner, by the way!

Reply

Jaylin March 27, 2008 at 7:55 am

Why are Asian spokespeople/actors used so much in financial advertisements? I notice because Asian-Americans are so under-represented in the music, television, and movie fields. Have you noticed this in your PF advertisement exposure?

Reply

mapgirl March 27, 2008 at 10:33 am

I’m getting more into dividend stocks. They make me happy. I rarely look at growth stocks anymore. Income stocks are good that way, lots of dividends! :-)

Reply

Vixen March 27, 2008 at 1:13 pm

Out of curiousity, how did you get into dividend stocks?

Reply

Meadow March 27, 2008 at 2:54 pm

@ Jaylin re: Asian models / spokespeople: My guess is for two reasons:

1) out of a desire to reach said populations by showing them reflected in their advertisements, and
2) because of the perception / stereotype in non-Asian communities that Asian people are smart with numbers and good with business.

Meadow

Reply

Logan April 2, 2008 at 8:14 am

Dogatemyfinances-
Someone correct me on this, but I think the Bush tax cuts of several years ago set tax rates on dividends at 5% and 15%, so dividends should not be taxed at the rate of simple income.

Reply

ray January 22, 2009 at 6:33 pm

…………………they are everybodies best freind…llloll…

Reply

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